Moldovan-Turkish College "Recep Tayyip Erdogan" will open in Comrat
The Moldovan-Turkish College "Recep Tayyip Erdogan" is set to open in Comrat, focusing on engineering and IT specialties, with classes taught in Romanian. During a Government meeting on August 5, the Minister of Education and Research, Dan Perciun, expressed concern that authorities in the Gagauz Autonomous Region might impose administrative obstacles due to the chosen language of instruction, advocating instead for Russian. The minister considers this situation unacceptable.
“The next step involves addressing some current blockages at the local level. Certain colleagues from Gagauzia are hindering this process by insisting that Russian remains the primary language of instruction. It is essential for us to unify the linguistic framework of the Republic of Moldova, ensuring that all citizens, regardless of their place of birth, are educated in Romanian,” declared the minister.
The blockage mentioned by Dan Perciun pertains to specific technical aspects related to the commissioning of the building, a process that relies on the authorities in the Gagauzia Autonomous Region.
“We hope to resolve this situation soon and initiate the educational process in Comrat,” added Perciun.
Currently, there is no public post-secondary vocational technical education institution in the Gagauzia Autonomous Region that specializes in professional training in engineering.
Additionally, employers report a shortage of qualified specialists in the fields of electronics, electromechanics, and information technology, particularly in regions outside of Chisinau.
The new educational institution will offer four vocational training programs:
- Computer Networks: Qualification – Network Technical Support Technician
- Programming and Testing of Software Products: Qualification – Programmer
- Electromechanics: Qualification – Electromechanical Technician
- Electronics: Qualification – Electronics Technician
The government will permit the admission process and the organization of educational activities to occur through a temporary exemption from the provisions of the Accreditation Methodology.
Additionally, the parties involved have noted that there are no significant differences between the vocational training programs identified in the educational system of the Republic of Moldova and those within the educational system of the Republic of Turkey.
A new educational institution is expected to enroll approximately 60 students each year, with the average annual training cost for each student estimated at around 30,000 lei.
To finance the institution, allocations from the public budget are planned as follows: approximately 1.8 million lei in 2026, 3.6 million lei in 2027, 5.4 million lei in 2028, and 7.2 million lei in 2029.
In the 2025-2026 academic year, around 34,600 students were enrolled in post-secondary vocational technical education, reflecting a 3.9% increase compared to the previous year. The most in-demand fields in this sector include information technology, engineering, and electronics.
The Moldovan-Turkish College "Recep Tayyip Erdogan" in Comrat was established through a protocol between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of the Republic of Turkey, aimed at enhancing cooperation in vocational and technical education.
